USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Sutton > History of the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1876 to 1950, Volume II > Part 33
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69
Herbert Greenwood bought the house from the Knight Co. It was then owned by the Whitinsville Bank and later by John and Laura Conley, who sold it to David and Delina Picard. The Picards have one son, David J. Picard Jr. (1932). Mrs. Picard's mother, Mrs. Delia Donais, aged eighty-one, lives with the Picards. She is believed to be the oldest resident of Manchaug, who was born in the village.
The house has been greatly improved. It was a story and a half house and has been made into a two and a half story duplex home of colonial design.
Henry Plante and his wife Aurore lived in this house at one time. At present, Mrs. Oliva Cabana and her brother, Wilfred Marquis, reside here.
The fifth house from the Square on Putnam Hill Road is owned by Thomas and Orena Cody. This house was bought by Herbert Greenwood after the Knight Co. owned it. Later, it was taken over by a Bank. John Conley then owned the property and afterwards Thomas Cody Sr. The family of Thomas and Orena Cody occupy one part of the house.
For a time, the family of Alvin and Madeline Wunchell lived here with their children Alvin Jr. and Madeline. Later, Richard and Alice Plante moved here. Richard Plante was in Military Service after World War II.
At present, Thomas Cody Jr. and wife Lucille occupy the second tenement. Thomas Cody Jr. is a veteran of World War II.
The next house, No. 41, is a three-tenement house and was also one of the Knight Co. houses until the auction. At that time, it was bought by Mrs. Malvina Mercier. After her death, it was taxed to her estate. It is now owned by Mrs. Rose Alma Brodeur and Olinda Mercier of Woonsocket, R.I. Date of deed, 1940. Rose Alma Mercier married Edward Brodeur, who has since died. Their daughter Jeannette (1923) married Joseph Tosches.
The second tenement is occupied by Edward Deome, a watchman, and his wife Augustine and daughters, Delauzia and Rita.
The third tenement is occupied by Arthur Mercier, an iron worker, and his wife Clara. The daughter Ivonne married Ernest Sauve and Theresa married John Walmsley and Armand is unmarried.
Among other families that have lived in this house are those of J. McCune, Peter Faubert, Peter Auger, Vital Faubert, John Allard and Joseph Mercier.
This house has had many improvements. A front porch has been added and garages have been built.
The seventh house from the Square, on the left going north, was built for a store. Sometime after the stone building near the schoolhouse was erected, this building was changed to a two-family dwelling. Robert Corriveau bought
300
HISTORY of SUTTON
the property from the B.B. and R. Knight Co. at the auction. He lived here with his wife Olympe and children: Rita, Elaine and Virginia.
In 1943, Ode and Marion Roberts bought the property and make one tene- ment their home. There are two Roberts children: Barbara and Richard.
The other tenement is occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Green Jr. Their chil- dren are: Norman Green, at present in Germany in the Armed Forces; Lucille, married to Omer Mongeon; Jeanette, married to Nicholas Hadis. Mrs. Ode Roberts has a store in the building.
Mr. Pichette built two new houses on his land across the street from his two- family house. The first one, now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Pichette and daugh- ter Judy (1944), was built in 1944.
The smaller house, north of the present Pichette cottage, was intended for a store and was used for one about a year and then changed into a tenement. It has been occupied by the Valdor Allard family, Mr. and Mrs. Edmond Casissta and Mr. and Mrs. William Conway. Valdor Allard, Edmond Casissta and Wil- liam Conway were World War II veterans.
The last house in the village on the left, going north on Putnam Hill Road, was long owned by Mrs. Anna Depta. It, too, was a Knight Company's house and sold at the auction to Charles Greenwood. In 1945, it was taxed to the Anna Depta heirs, and since 1944 has been owned by Alfred and Irene Deome, who live there with their two children Alfred Jr. (1944) and Nancy (1949).
The story goes that at the time of the flood, when the Tucker Dam went out, the water came close to the house. Mrs. Depta's pig was peacefully resting in his pen when, suddenly, the rising waters took him and his pen on the crest of the wave and the next time he found a foothold he was away down past Number One Mill on the "Flats" among water soaked bales! A very much surprised pig was driven home to Mrs. Depta, apparently unhurt.
Returning to Mateychuck Square, we find, on the northeast corner of the intersection of Whitin and Putnam Hill Roads, the mansion built by the B.B. and R. Knight Co. for their agents. This house was constructed of excellent materials and the architecture was the finest of the period. Spacious rooms and high ceilings predominate. Improvements were frequently added and heat was piped from Number One Mill, a real innovation. A porch was built on the north and east sides of the house, which has added greatly to the comfort of the residents. The huge blocks of stone, in the wall near the street, have always been admired and it is of interest to know that these were cut out from Manchaug's own quarry.
When Volume I of the Town History was printed, the family of Robert McArthur was living here. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn and two daughters came next and the family of George Clark followed. There were five Clark children, Fred, George, Ernest, Ethel and Grace. Mrs. Clark died in Manchaug and her husband, also. The next two agents' families were those of John F. Hamlet and E. C. Willey. Following them came the family of Charles Holmes. They had one son. Mr. Holmes went to Rhode Island and later to New Bedford, Mass. The next family was T. Burt Stevenson and son Paul. Mr. Stevenson served on the School Board from 1905 through 1909. This family was in Manchaug about nine years and was greatly missed when a position opened in Caroleen, N. C. and Mr.
301
HOMES of SUTTON
Stevenson left to become agent of the Henrietta Mills. Mrs. Stevenson, espe- cially, had endeared herself to the church people with her kind disposition and helpfulness.
The next agent was Marcus Woodrow. Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow had one daughter Annette. They remained here about nine years before they left for Exeter, N.H. Mr. Woodrow was very much interested in the welfare of the town, serving on the School Committee for five years. The agent following was Harry Richardson, who lived in this home with his wife and three children. They were succeeded by the families of John A. Schedgell and Arthur Smith. The last agent's family was that of Dudley Smith, son of Arthur. The house was then unoccupied for five years and sold at auction, in 1927, to James Cranska.
Mr. Cranska had worked for the Knight Co. in Manchaug for many years as bookkeeper and paymaster. He followed his brother, Frank Cranska, in that capacity, in 1884. Mr. Cranska married N. Evelyn Humes in 1890 and lived for many years in New Village. There were four Cranska children, Gladys, 1895 (deceased 1950), Caroline M., 1901, who married Charles Dukes of Delaware, Floyd, 1905, who married Ruth Nugent of Millbury, Harold, 1907, who mar- ried Lumena Vielle and who live in Oxford with their four children, Harold James Jr., Nancy Carolyn, Gordon David and Stephen Floyd.
After the mills closed in Manchaug, Mr. Cranska worked in the Cranska Thread Co. in Worcester until 1939, when ill-health forced him to retire and he continued his residence in this home until his death in 1943. Mrs. Cranska lives here with her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Dukes, and their twin children, Robert Edward and Ruth Evelyn, 1940.
The house on the right of Putnam Hill Road, beyond the mansion, was origi- nally owned by the Knight Co. and sold to Augustus Cassavant of North Uxbridge. In 1945, it was still taxed to Augustus Cassavant. It now belongs to the Cassavant heirs and has three tenements. For a long time Morton and Luella Carter and family lived here. At present, this tenement is occupied by Austin and Jeannette Carter and son, Austin Jr.
The second tenement was occupied by the John Oles family. The children were Henry, Stanley and Stella. It is now occupied by Leo and Agnes Roussel and children Rene and Michael.
The third tenement was occupied by Stuart and Vera Johnson. Mr. Johnson was employed at the Schuster Mills. Their children are Valerie, who married Lee Surratt, Grant, Gale and Walter. Jeannine is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Lucier have the third tenement for their home. Mr. Lucier is at present with the armed services in the Air Force.
The third house on the right, next to the church on Putnam Hill Road, going towards Sutton, is now owned by George and Hilda Dykstra. Herbert Green- wood bought this property, No. 67, of the Knight Company's parcels, at the auction, and it was later transferred to a bank. John Conley bought it next and sold it to the Dykstras.
This house, now a two-tenement structure, was once one apartment and a barber shop. Herbert Guillotte lived here and conducted the shop. Peter Malhoit, a member of one of Manchaug's oldest families, lived here, also. At present,
302
HISTORY of SUTTON
Arthur and Margaret Hemingway live here in part of the house with their chil- dren, Pearl, Arline, Josephine, Carl and Richard.
Charles Low and George B. and wife, Madeline Low, live in the other tene- ment. George Low served in the Navy in World War II.
The house just beyond the church, going north on Putnam Hill Road, is owned by J. Arthur Plante. It was known as No. 66 of the B.B. and R. Knight property and was sold at the auction in 1927 to George Kelliher of the American Supply Co. of Worcester, and later sold to J. Arthur Plante, tool maker, in 1929. Arthur and Olivina Plante, mother and father of J. Arthur Plante, lived here many years, and Mr. Plante died in 1937. The family of Fred King lived here when he was overseer, then moved to the present Rectory. William Cole, a master mechanic, and an excellent workman, lived here with his family for many years. His daughter Bertha married Joseph Olsen and went to California. The son Elmer operated a Weather Bureau in New Jersey. For some time this was the home of Wilfred Senecal, a carpenter, and his wife Katherine and children Theresa, Constance and Margarite before they moved to Uxbridge.
Their tenement is now occupied by Henry and Aurore Plante and daughter Madeline. Henry Plante is Deputy Fire Chief of the Town of Sutton and is a most efficient, painstaking and able manager of the Manchaug unit.
At the southeast corner of Putnam Hill Road and Snow Street, we find the present Rectory of St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church. It was formerly No. 65 of the Knight Company's property and a two-tenement house. Rev. J. C. Boomer's family also lived here in 1891.
Fred King's family occupied this house when he was assistant superintendent of the mill. It was renovated and greately improved when Mr. King went there to live. At the time heat was piped from number one mill to the mansion, the furnace was moved over to this house for Mr. King's use. He later went to Alabama.
In 1927, the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese bought the property for a Rectory and made radical changes in the building; adding modern improve- ments and making one tenement out of two.
Pastors who have lived in this house are Rev. I. J. Lord, Rev. Joseph Boutin, Rev. Paul D'Amours, Rev. Romeo Rheaume and Rev. Ovila N. Gevry, the present pastor of St. Anne's Church.
Mrs. Rose Alma Brodeur is housekeeper at the Rectory.
When the B.B. and R. Knight business was in its most prosperous condition, many housing units were required for the millworkers, and it seemed best to have them within easy walking distance of the three large mills. Fourteen tenements were built into the house, now called the "Long Block," the largest housing unit in Manchaug. At the time of the auction, these tenements needed a great deal of renovation and it seemed best to shorten the block to ten tenements. When this was done, the resulting space, at the corner of Snow Street and Putnam Hill Road, was acquired by Adolph and Angelina Robert and they built the house that is there today. It was afterwards owned by Archille Hervieux, grandson of Adolph Robert. The Robert children are Ode, Olivica, who married John Her- vieux and later Dorilla Messier, Arcelia, married Albert Jolly and Armand (1917), who served in the Navy in World War II and afterward went to live in Uxbridge.
303
HOMES of SUTTON
The next building is the Long Block which, at present, has ten housing units. It is now owned by Joseph Patenaude of Webster, who has greatly improved the premises. Anyone seeing it "before and after" could scarcely believe it was the same house. In 1938, Guisseppe Mazarelli owned the property. He sold it to Emil diDonato, who later sold it to Joseph Patenaude in 1939. The families living in the house at present are Robert and Arline Daniels and children, William (1948), Robert Jr. (1949), Jean (1950) and Sharon (1952). Robert Daniels Sr. served in the Army in World War II.
Leland and Madeline Pierpont live here also with their children, William (1944), Richard (1945) and Ronald (1946).
Laurence and Jeannette Broullard occupy another tenement with their children, Janet (1946) and Laurence (1948).
Another unit is occupied by Eugene and Anna Labonte. Their children are William (1923), a World War II veteran, who served in the Navy, and later married Pearl Casey, Dorothy (1921), who married Ernest Breggeron, Alice (1925), who married Joseph Arsenault, Eugene Jr. (1928), who served in the Navy in World War II, Helen (1930), who married Larry Contois, Phyllis (1931), Nancy (1934), Roger (1941) and Richard (1943).
Another tenement is occupied by Henry and Dorothy Morin whose children are Gail (1939), Lois (1943) and Jerome (1948).
John and Rose Alma Paquette occupy another tenement. Their children are Leo Paul (1900), who served in the Army in World War II, Jeanette (1922) married Elwood Moore, Cecile (1924) married Albert Green, Wilfred Romeo (1907), Theresa (1929), who married Arthur Lawrence, and Doris (1936).
Another tenement is occupied by Albert and Cecile Green and children Dor- othy (1945), Rose Alma (1951) and John Paul (1952).
William and Lucille Magill and daughters Linda Jo (1947) and Lois Irene (1951) live here also.
The other two tenements are occupied by Mrs. Etta Hawley and Theresa Auger and daughter Marie Ann (1951).
Many families have lived here since the house was built. Among them are those of Andrew Nedoroscik, Albert Jolly, Leon Trombly, Truman Pierce, Albert Bruno, Jerome Daigle, Robert Fisher, Albert Bergeron, Philip Wheelden, Raymond Landry, Fred Mongeon, Albert Garand, Leslie Ricker, Alexander Blanchette, Joseph Spratt, Joseph Mineau and Wallace Laythe. Derward, George, Arthur and Wallace Laythe Jr., sons of Wallace Laythe, served in the Armed Services in World War II.
Just beyond the Long Block, at the right, is Summer Street. It leads to a small group of houses, built by the Knight Co., for their employees. The setting is beautiful, backed by large rocks and tall, shady trees. The longest street is appropriately named "Ledge" and the village, itself, for want of a better name, might be "Upper Tuckerville," being near the Old Reservoir of that name.
On the southeast corner of the intersection of Ledge and Summer Streets, we find the home of Joseph F. and Marguerite Landry. This house was a two- tenement house when sold at the auction in 1927. P. Orrin Putnam owned it in 1931 and afterward, Mrs. Anna Depta sold the property, in 1941, to Joseph and Marguerite Landry. The Landry children are Chloe, who married Paul Kurtyka, Albert R., who married Lenora LeClair, Joseph T., who married Adrienne Roy,
304
HISTORY of SUTTON
Russell, unmarried, Lorraine, who married Harry Fletcher, Francis, who married Norma Fontaine, Richard Benjamin (1940) and Marguerite Virginia (1947).
Albert was a Corporal in the Army and Joseph (1923) a Sergeant in World War II. Russell served in the Air Corps. Mr. Landry was elected Road Commis- sioner of the Town of Sutton from 1947 through 1950.
This house has been made into one tenement with many modern improvements. The lots on this side of Ledge Street are very much deeper than those opposite, giving space for a barn where animals may be kept.
Next beyond Joseph Landry's house, going south, is the home of Alfred and Louise Bouffard. The owner is Marrienne Lemoine. Originally, the house was built by the B.B. and R. Knight Co. and, no doubt, was sold at the auction in 1927. In 1929, it was taxed to Felix and Marrienne Lemoine and it had pre- viously been owned by a Mr. Kelleher.
Leo Bouffard (1925), son of Alfred, served in the Navy in World War II and is now married to Catherine Salatiello.
At the northeast corner of the intersection of Snow and Ledge Streets is the home, now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Valdor E. Allard, who bought the prop- erty about 1949. Previously, it had been built by the Knight Co. and after the auction, it was taxed, in 1929, to Fortunat Chouinard, who sold it to the Allard family. There were four Chouinard children; Alice, who married Donat Gamelin, William, deceased, Fernande, who is now Mrs. Manville and lives in North Grosvenordale, R.I., and Norbert, who is married and lives in Bellingham, Mass. There are two Allard children, Robert Allen, 1947, and Allen, 1951.
On the southwest corner of the intersection of Snow and Ledge Streets is the home of William and Julienne Dion. This has two tenements, unlike most of the other dwellings in the village. Being a Knight Co.'s property, it was also, undoubtedly, sold at the auction in 1927. It is reported that a Mr. Herbert owned this property and sold it to Adolph and Angeline Roberts. Afterwards, Rene Roberts sold it, in 1951, to William and Julienne Dion, who, at present, live in one apartment and Nila Adams in the other.
At the intersection of Ledge and Summer Streets, on the southeast corner, we find the house, now owned by Tracy and Mary Horne. This is also one of the houses on Ledge Street that were built for the mill workers by the B.B. and R. Knight Co. It was originally meant for two families but has been used, for some time, as a one-tenement house. It was once owned by P. Orrin Putnam.
Many families have lived here and, in 1945, it was taxed to Joseph Hou- chowski. He, later, sold it to Tracy and Mary Horne, who still own the property.
The Horne children are Marion, a nurse, who married Frederick Trevor and moved to Amherst, Mass., Doris, who married Ernest Lavallee and went to Meredith, N. H., Helen, who married Warren Robertson, Elizabeth, who mar- ried Lawrence Swain, Hazel, unmarried, Edith Ann, 1937 Tracy Jr., 1936, and Guy Earl, 1941.
Between the homes of William Dion and Tracy Horne on Ledge Street, we find the house owned and occupied by the family of Jacob and Bernadette Stahl. For many years this property has belonged to the Auger family. Built by B.B. and R. Knight Co., it was later owned in 1929 by Oulaus Auger. In 1945, it was taxed to Leona Auger.
305
HOMES of SUTTON
The Auger children were Anthony, who married Arlene Bruno, and served in the Navy, Matilda, who married Albert Bruno, Theresa, unmarried, and Oulaus (1924), who is in the Navy.
Jacob and Bernadette Stahl bought the place recently from the Augers. There are two LeDoux children, Janet and Ronald, whose mother is Mrs. Stahl, and three Stahl children, Jean, 1948, Samuel, 1950 and Charles, 1952.
The house at the northeast corner of the intersection of Summer and Ledge Streets is the home of Roland and Antoinnette Richard. In 1929, it was taxed to the B.B. and R. Knight Finance Corp. It was later owned by Margaret Cook and the Richards bought the property in 1937 and have owned it since that time. The Richard children are Robert, 1938, Theresa, 1939, Wilfred, 1940, George, 1942, Ernest, 1943 Raymond 1946, and Roland, Jr., 1949. Mr. Richard is employed as a mix-picker at the Hayward-Schuster Corp. in Douglas. This house has been renovated inside and outside and greatly improved during the last few years.
The house next beyond Roland Richard's, going north on Ledge Street, is owned by Isadore McDonald heirs. It was sold by the B.B. and R. Knight Co. and, later, was owned by a Mr. Kelliher. In 1929, it was taxed to Isadore McDonald, who died in 1932.
Edward McDonald Sr. had four children, Edgar Jr., Winton, Mildred, now Mrs. Shaw, and Chester. Edgar Jr.'s children are Patricia, 1947, Edgar III, 1948, George Henry, 1950, and James, 1951. Edgar Jr.'s family live in this house.
Edgar Jr., 1924, served in the Navy in World War II and Winton, 1918, was in the Army. Mildred Shaw lives in Pascoag.
Nearly opposite the home of Edgar McDonald on Ledge Street, is the home of Albert and Vernie Lavallee. This was also a B.B. and R. Knight house. In 1938, the property was assessed to Anson Davis and Albert and Vernie Lavallee owned the property in 1945 and are the present residents. The Lavallee children are: Henry, 1924, who married Doris Lemore; Albert, 1926, who married Clare Ashton; Ernest, 1922, who married Doris Horne; Louise, who married Lawrence Ashton; George, who married Phoebe Forsythe; Arthur, who married Mary Kurtyka and Dorothy who married Robert Fisher. Henry, Albert and Ernest served in the Armed Forces in World War II.
Henry and Doris Lavallee have a Quonset home on Ledge Street, near Albert Lavallee's house. They have two children, Carol Ann, 1947, and Laura Jean, 1952.
Nearly opposite the home of Roland Richard, on Ledge Street, is the home of Anthony Willette. It was, like others in this little village, built by the B.B. and R. Knight Co. It was formerly owned by John Ashton and John Dudley and later sold to Anthony and Irene Willette. Since Irene Willette's death, Anthony has lived here with his family. The Willette children are: Antoinette, who married Roland Richard; Malvina, who married Jerome Daigle and now lives in Linwood; Marjory, who married Robert Thaden; Adelard, who married Marie Morrissette and lives in Linwood; Rita, who married Andrew Medorozik; George, who married Helen Maniak and lives in East Douglas; Irene, who mar- ried John Bombara and lives in East Douglas; Alice, who married Lawrence Morrison and now lives in Uxbridge; Loretta, Shirley, Theodore and Sylvia, who live at home.
306
HISTORY of SUTTON
Among the families who resided here, formerly, are those of John Ashton, Philip Wheelden and Robert and Dorothy Fisher and children, Robert and Patricia, both of whom were born in this house.
Adelard Willette served in World War II in the Army and George Willette in the Navy.
At the corner of Summer Street and Putnam Hill Road is a two-tenement house owned by Hendrick and Stacia Morro, who acquired the property in 1948 from Doris Temple of Uxbridge. This was one of the B.B. and R. Knight houses and has had many modern improvements since the days of the Knight Co. The Morro children are Arleen (1940), Barbara Ann (1941), Carol June (1942) and Denise Stasia (1951). Mr. Morro is employed by the Whitin Machine Works and Mrs. Morro by the Haywood Schuster Co.
The Joseph Makowski family recently occupied the other tenement.
The second house beyond Summer Street on the right, going north on Putnam Hill Road, is owned by Margaret Pichette. She bought it about 1940 from Felix and Viola Vecchione of Douglas. This is a two-tenement house and Margaret Pichette lives on the south side and the Arthur Liberty family occupy the other tenement. The children of Arthur and Helen Liberty are Emily, Harvey and Howard, twins, Arthur Jr. and Helen. This house was built by the Knight Co., as were the ones on each side, for the millworkers.
The third house beyond Summer Street, going north on Putnam Hill Road, is owned by Charles and Mary Pichette, who bought the property from Charles and Mary Goodness of Oxford, in 1935. This was one of the Knight Co. houses, and Mr. Pichette made some very interesting changes, transforming the dwell- ing into two tenements, adding enough space in the back for kitchen, pantry and bathroom in each tenement.
Mr. and Mrs. Pichette moved out of this house and into one of two new houses they built on the opposite side of the street.
The present tenants in the two-tenement house are Mr. and Mrs. John Fleszar and Mr. Alfred Chauvin. Mr. Fleszar served in World War II. Former tenants were Mr. and Mrs. Donald Benson, Mrs. Laurence Ashton, Mr. and Mrs. Ode Roberts, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Baca and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Howard.
The fourth house, going north from Summer Street on Putnam Hill Road, is owned by Omer Lamontagne. This was one of the B.B. and R. Knight houses and George Kelliher bought it when the village was sold. Mr. Lamontagne later bought the property and it was taxed to him in 1938. Mrs. Lamontagne was formerly Mrs. Provencher and there were two Provencher children, Yvonne, who married Ernest Army, and Henry. The Lamontagne children were Blanche, who is now Mrs. Aldrich, Napoleon Jr., who married Loretta Beaudoin, and Omer, who married Mary Biros and make their home here.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.